Fastest Century in T20: Records, Tactics, and Top Performers

There are cricketing achievements, and then there are statements — moments that ripple across dressing rooms, leagues, and nations. Scoring a century in T20 cricket is one of them. But scoring the fastest century in T20? That’s a gauntlet thrown at the feet of bowlers worldwide. It’s the ultimate declaration of dominance, timing, and audacity.

Having spent decades inside locker rooms, analyzing footage until my eyes blurred, and speaking to players and coaches in quiet corners and press boxes, I can say one thing clearly: a blazing hundred in a T20 match isn’t just a gear shift — it’s a controlled explosion.

Today, we’re peeling the layers of one of cricket’s most jaw-dropping feats — the fastest century in T20 history. We’ll break down the format-specific records, unearth tactical trends behind these furious innings, and even dive into the untold stories that statistics often mask.

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🔥 What Does the “Fastest Century in T20” Actually Mean?

To clarify, “fastest” in the T20 context typically refers to the fewest number of balls faced to reach 100 runs. This metric evaluates scoring speed over time spent at the crease. And in T20, where you sometimes have just 60 balls to swing the game, it speaks volumes about a player’s precision and intent.

This record isn’t about luck or a few mishit sixes. It’s manufactured chaos, built on technique, reading the field, and that sixth sense – the one that separates muscle-bound hitters from true T20 artists.

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📊 Fastest Centuries Across T20 Formats

To understand the scale of this achievement, we need to loosen the boundary lines. T20 cricket exists in various avatars: Internationals (T20Is), domestic T20 leagues like the IPL, PSL, BBL, and more privately run competitions. Records in each domain have their own texture, and ignoring one is like trying to read a novel with missing pages.

Let’s break it down:

1. 🏟️ Fastest Century in T20 Cricket History (Overall – All Formats)

Player	Balls to 100	Team	Opposition	Format
Chris Gayle	30 balls	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Pune Warriors	IPL (Franchise)

This innings wasn’t just fast. It was feral. Chris Gayle’s 100 in just 30 balls remains, to this day, the benchmark. Everyone talks about the 17 sixes and the triple-figure score, but few remember how he did it. That surface in Bengaluru was flat, yes. But his hand speed, his calm in acceleration – that was artistry behind brutality.

Gayle’s knock wasn’t a flash in the pan. For bowlers spared the carnage, it triggered nightmares. For future power-hitters, it became a blueprint on controlled recklessness.

2. 🌍 Fastest Century in T20 Internationals (T20Is)

Player	Balls to 100	Country	Opposition
David Miller	35 balls	South Africa	Bangladesh
Rohit Sharma	35 balls	India	Sri Lanka
S Wickramasekara	35 balls	Czech Republic	Turkey

A three-way tie at 35 balls. On the surface, these innings appear similar. The real distinctions lie in context. Miller’s century came in serious traffic — a global tournament-level atmosphere, full of pressure. Rohit Sharma’s came as part of a masterclass in timing and placement, not just power. And Wickramasekara’s? It was a display of dominance in an associate fixture where boundaries came easy — but power was still real.

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💡 Tactical Anatomy of a Fastest T20 Century

So what actually goes into constructing such a freakish T20 hundred? Here’s what I’ve observed time and again, either watching noside from dugouts or dissecting in hours-long team meetings.

• Power Play Pouncing

  The best innings leverage the fielding restrictions. Four overs, just two out — these are golden minutes.

  ‘If you don’t get 40-plus in those overs, the 100 becomes twice as tough,” one IPL coach once whispered to me, post-match, looking at data sheets like a Wall Street trader.

• Predation off Weak Links

  A key trend: batters target the weakest links. Maybe it’s a fifth bowler, maybe it’s the seam-up part-timer. These batsmen hunt. You’ll notice most of the fastest T20 centuries have clusters of boundaries off specific bowlers — not random carnage.

• Field Reading as an Art Form

  It’s often assumed these innings are mindless hitting. Wrong. Players like KL Rahul, Jos Buttler, or AB de Villiers don’t hit blind. They dissect, then execute.

  True elite batters constantly look six balls ahead — “If this bowler goes around the wicket with a spread-out backward square, where’s my option?’

• Strike Rotation Underappreciated

  Take Gayle, for example. In that epic innings, he wasn’t just hitting sixes. He was sneaking in ones and twos, giving himself time and volume. A 30-ball 100 only happens if you keep the cogs moving between boom shots.

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🏆 Top 10 Fastest Centuries in T20 History (All Formats)

Here’s a curated list of some of the fastest ever centuries in T20 cricket, across formats:

Rank	Player	Balls	Match Type	Opponent	Venue
1	Chris Gayle	30	IPL	Pune Warriors	Bengaluru
2	Rishabh Pant	32	Domestic (India)	Himachal Pradesh	Delhi
3	Wihan Lubbe	33	CSA T20	KwaZulu-Natal	Potchefstroom
4	David Miller	35	T20I	Bangladesh	Potchefstroom
5	Rohit Sharma	35	T20I	Sri Lanka	Indore
6	S Wickramasekara	35	T20I	Turkey	Ilfov County
7	Adam Rossington	36	T20 Blast	Middlesex	Lord’s
8	Marcus Trescothick	36	T20 Blast	Hampshire	Taunton
9	Andrew Symonds	34	County	Middlesex	Camden
10	KL Rahul	46	IPL	Delhi Capitals	Mohali

Each of these knocks had its own color. Rishabh Pant’s was raw youth — blinders-on aggression. Andrews Symonds? Controlled maturity with just the right touch of menace.

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🧠 Psychological Aspect: Zone vs Calculation

Many presume these centurions entered a ‘zone’ — an altered mental state where time slows down. It’s true, but what many fail to appreciate is the groundwork done beforehand. As a former assistant coach, I’ve seen players mentally simulate overs in hotel rooms. Some visualize 30-ball hundreds. Others pre-select zones on the pitch and cross-reference against opposition bowling patterns.

A 35-ball century isn’t just luck or a flat wicket. It’s often months — sometimes years — of calculated violence waiting to boil over.

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🎯 Fastest T20 Centuries in Different Categories

Let’s go niche and break it down further:

Category	Player	Score	Balls	Opponent
Fastest T20 Century (Overall)	Chris Gayle	175*	30	Pune Warriors
Fastest T20I Century (Men’s)	David Miller	100*	35	Bangladesh
Fastest 100 in IPL	Chris Gayle	175*	30	Pune Warriors
Fastest by Indian in T20 Domestic	Rishabh Pant	100	32	Himachal Pradesh
Fastest in T20 World Cup	Brendon McCullum	123	48	Bangladesh
Fastest by Indian in T20I	Rohit Sharma	100	35	Sri Lanka
Fastest Century in Women’s T20I	Deandra Dottin	112*	38	South Africa

Brendon McCullum’s World Cup ton deserves a standalone chapter. It was not just about runs – it was aggressive symbolism, redefining what a World Cup innings could be.

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📽️ Innings Worth Watching Again and Again

There are knocks you remember, and then there are innings you replay. These three are etched in cricketing folklore not just for their scores, but for their spectacle.

• Chris Gayle 175* (30 balls to 100)

  • Quite literally shifted how captains picked bowlers the next season.
  • Watch for how far he stands outside leg stump.

• David Miller 101* (35 balls)

  • Ice in his veins. Finisher role reborn.
  • Watch for his shuffle across off and powerful swings behind square.

• Rohit Sharma 100 (35 balls)

  • Exhibited an almost surgeons-like touch.
  • Rhythmic, elegant brutality.

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📌 Why These Records Matter in the Modern Game

A few years ago, a T20 hundred was considered rare. Now, teams expect their top three to make it possible. A 40-ball hundred used to invite headlines. Now, if you face 45 balls and don’t cross three figures, some critics question your efficiency.

Here’s how the fastest T20 century trend has influenced the wider game:

• Team Compositions now lean toward strike rate-centric selections.
• Bowling Strategies increasingly include wide yorkers and field traps designed only for power hitters.
• Leagues Pay Premium to players who can score match-defining knocks within 40 deliveries.

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👀 What’s Next? Future Trends of the Fastest T20 Hundred

With flatter pitches, bigger bats, and advanced data scouting, the idea of a sub-30-ball century seems less fiction and more impending fact.

Some names to watch:

• Liam Livingstone — Already in the 40-ball range, possesses raw power and range.
• Suryakumar Yadav — Manipulates fields almost telepathically.
• Will Jacks & Harry Brook — Display the fearlessness seen in record-holders.

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🧩 Final Analysis: Beyond Numbers

At the core of it, scoring the fastest hundred in T20 is first a mindset, not muscle. It’s the inner belief that every ball can disappear — and every bowler is just a puzzle to solve. The batters who’ve etched their names into this elite record were part artists, part assassins.

And while we’ll continue to debate who was ‘more impactful’ or ‘more elegant,’ the records — the sheer, blistering numbers — tell their own story.

They didn’t just score quickly. They shifted games. They changed how we define excellence in a format built on speed.

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📎 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• 🏏 Who scored the fastest century in T20 history?
  Chris Gayle holds the record with a 30-ball hundred for Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL match.

• 🧢 Who has the fastest T20I century (international)?
  David Miller, Rohit Sharma, and S Wickramasekara all scored T20I centuries in just 35 balls.

• 🇮🇳 Who scored the fastest T20 century by an Indian?
  Rishabh Pant scored a 32-ball ton in domestic T20s, while Rohit Sharma did it in 35 balls at the international level.

• 🏆 Has anyone scored a 100 in under 30 balls?
  Not yet. Chris Gayle’s 30-ball ton is the fastest recorded. But sub-30 isn’t far off.

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The game’s evolving, as it always has. Records will fall. But for now, the fastest century in T20 cricket remains one of the sport’s most startling feats — a short story told at blazing speed, but remembered forever.

And we, the lifelong followers, won’t ever stop chasing its echo.

Angad Mehra

Angad

Angad Mehra is an avid cricket analyst and sports writer who pays attention to betting patterns and match specifics. Angad has years of experience writing, covering both Indian and international cricket. He explains stats, odds, and strategies in a clear, simple manner that resonates with fans. Readers trust Angad’s articles to keep them ahead of the game whether on or off the field. Off the field, you can find him either tracking live scores ball by ball or debating IPL lineup changes.

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